Give me a Chance
by Tru Jones
Summary: Naraku is destroyed and the jewel completed and purified. Everyone thought that Kagome and Inuyasha would be in love. When that doesn't seem to happen, is it time for Kagome to take a chance on someone new?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with Inuyasha. I am respectfully borrowing them from their creator, Rumiko Takahashi, for use in my otherwise original stories.

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Kouga had always been rather cocky. He had worked hard to earn his place as leader of the wolf tribe and he knew he deserved the respect that he had received because of it. So why was he constantly making such a fool out of himself because of one human woman? Okay, so she wasn't just any human woman. She was Kagome and she was stronger, braver, more loyal, and definitely more beautiful then any other woman he had ever met, human or demon. So why was she so smitten with that idiot dog boy? Why didn't she seem the least bit interested in him, despite his obvious strength and status? He knew he could take better care of her and appreciate her more then that half-demon ever could. So, why didn't she see it?

Kouga was off and running the second, the idea hit him. He knew what he had to do. All that matter was getting Kagome to see it.

Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as her feet touched the ground at the bottom of the well. It was good to be back in feudal Japan again. Even though Naraku was defeated and the jewel was restored, Kagome still found plenty of reasons to keep up her time traveling ways. Not the least of which, was spending time with the friends who had become closer to her then her own family. Besides, even without Naraku, people still needed to someone to protect them from the many demons plaguing the land.

Kagome reached up and pulled herself out of the well. Despite the years of practice, the climb never had gotten easy on her and her overloaded yellow pack didn't help any. She sighed remembering the days when Inuyasha would be there waiting for her arrival. That almost never happened anymore. She still didn't really understand it, but he had somehow managed to become even more distant and moody since the destruction of Naraku. Kagome had really thought that they would be able to explore the potential of their budding romance, but something continued to hold Inuyasha back. Kagome was hurt by this at first, but had since come to terms with the fact that maybe they were just meant to be friends. She was certainly not willing to risk the trust that they had by trying to pursue something he wasn't able to handle.

"Oh well," Kagome mumbled to herself as she started walking towards the village, "no sense daydreaming about things that are never going to change".

Sango looked up and smiled as she saw her friend approaching. "Kagome! It took you long enough this time. I was beginning to wondering if you had finally decided to stay."

Kagome shook her head, laughing at her friend's teasing. "You should know by now, that isn't going to happen. We had finals this week so I had a lot of catching up to do. It was worth it though, now I can relax for the rest of the summer."

Kouga smiled from his perch in a nearby tree. "So, she has all summer does she? That should be just about perfect." He sniffed the air. "Still no sign of dog boy yet, guess it is now or never."

A strong wind approaching caught the girls' attention. When they turned towards it to investigate, they saw the wolf prince approaching.

"Yo!" He said as he sauntered towards them.

"Hey, Kouga," Kagome replied hesitantly, as she looked around to make sure Inuyasha wasn't anywhere around to start a fight.

Well, not exactly, the overjoyed reception I was hoping for, but what did I really expect? Kouga thought to himself. Undeterred he proceeded up to Kagome and grabbed both of her hands in his, never losing his cocky grin. "I've missed you." He said looking her straight in the eyes.

Kagome stuttered for a reply as she felt a blush start to color her cheeks. You'd think I would be used to this by now. She scolded herself internally. It has been three years and he has never changed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sango trying to sneak off and abandon her. "Hey, where are you going?" Kagome said sounding slightly more desperate then she meant to. She kicked herself when she noticed the slight cringe on Kouga's face.

"Oh," said Sango, "um, I just remembered that Kaede had asked me to help her fix some of the huts in the village." She winked mischievously at her friend as she made a hasty exit towards the village.

"So, um, how have you been?" Kagome asked Kouga fighting slightly, her hands still grasped firmly in Kouga's.

"Kagome, I have wanted to talk to you about something." Kagome was surprised by his suddenly serious tone. Was it her imagination or did he look nervous?

"Sure, what's up?"

Kouga released one of her hands so they could walk side by side. "Well, I know that you don't really take my interest in you very seriously." He saw Kagome open her mouth to say something, but he held up his hand to stop her. "It is okay, I have given it a lot of thought, and I think I understand why. The fact is that we have never really spent much time together and aside from declaring my interest in you, I haven't really done that much to prove to you that I mean it. I want to change that if you will let me."

He stopped then and finally looked her in the eyes. Kagome tried again to open her mouth to speak, but nothing seemed to come out. What am I supposed to say to that, she thought to herself. I know he has always talked about making me "his woman", but it always seemed more like a game or just something to tick off Inuyasha then a serious proposal. Is he serious? It really doesn't matter anyways; I mean I am not interested in him, right? Still what do I say? Kouga watched patiently as he saw an internal struggle going on in Kagome's eyes.

"Kouga, you know I have always thought of you as friend, but…" Kouga knew where this was heading.

"Kagome, I know that you don't care for me as more then a friend now, but I really do care for you. I think that you could feel the same for me if you gave me a chance and that is all I am asking for. How can you know if you could feel anything for me or not, when the only time we have ever been together for more then a few hours was the first time we met and I kidnapped you? You don't know me and I don't blame you for that, I just want a chance to change it. If we spend time together and you still aren't interested in me as more then a friend, I will accept it, but I don't think that will happen."

Kagome couldn't help but laugh as he ended his speech with typical Kouga arrogance. Her first impulse was to shoot him down, but she realized that was mostly just out of habit. Was there really any harm in giving him a chance? She couldn't deny that she had always found him attractive. The more she thought about, she realized that the main reason she had never considered him was that she considered herself taken with Inuyasha. Now, she just wasn't sure she still felt that way.

"Inuyasha really isn't going to like this", Kagome blushed when she realized by Kouga smiling from ear to ear that she had accidentally said that aloud. "Okay, fine, what do you suggest, Kouga?"

Kouga could barely contain himself. Did she really just agree!?! It was all he could do not to jump up and down. Instead, he picked Kagome up and spun her around a few times in a bear hug, grinning so big it almost hurt.

"What the HELL do you think you are doing WOLF!?!" Kouga set Kagome down and turned to see a very pissed off looking hanyou.

"This is between me and my woman, dog breath, so stay out of it!" Kouga shouted back.

"Will both of you stop it already!" Kagome screamed over top of them both. "I am so tired of this!" She turned to Inuyasha, "What I do and who I talk to is none of your concern. I have spent the past two years chasing after you and now when things are finally calm you still show no interest in me unless someone else does. Well, I am sorry, but I am not going to be single forever just because you are too stubborn to make a move!" Next, she turned to Kouga, "For the last time, I am not ANYONE'S woman! I am Kagome and this type of thing is exactly why I never take you seriously!" With that, she stormed off towards the village, leaving the two men speechless behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well here is chapter two. I have never written anything with so much dialogue before, so let me know if you have any suggestions on how I can improve, or if I need to. Hope you enjoy :)

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Chapter 2

Sango entered Kaede's hut only to be greeted with the sounds of slamming. At first, she thought someone was ransacking the place, but then she caught sight of Kagome. "What are you doing?"

Kagome spun around, startled by the sound of the slayer's voice. "Huh? Oh, I'm cooking."

"Are you usually such a loud cook?"

Kagome set down the dishes and turned to her friend. "Oh, I am just trying to burn off some steam, that's all. I am sorry if I worried you."

"I guess things didn't go smoothly with Kouga. Spill."

Kagome's shoulders slumped in defeat. "I am just so confused. Kouga wants me to give him a chance to prove his feelings for me are real. I was actually considering it. I was almost ready to think maybe there was a real chance."

Sango tried to hide her hopeful grin. "Almost?"

"He sounded so serious, so not the immature, possessive jerk I am used to dealing with. Then Inuyasha showed up and he acted just like he always has. He even called me HIS woman again. I hate it when he says that! I am not some THING I don't belong to anyone, least of all him."

"Is that really what has you so upset?" Sango asked her friend, knowing it would take more then that to set her off this bad.

"I don't know." Kagome shook her head and sat by the fire, "I know I am mad at Inuyasha too. We used to be so close. I really thought that he loved me, but now he barely even acknowledges me unless someone like Kouga is showing interest in me. I am tired of feeling as if he expects me just to wait around for him forever. He has no right to get jealous if he doesn't feel anything for me."

Sango nodded, understanding fully what her friend meant. They had all thought that it was inevitable for Inuyasha and Kagome to end up together. After Naraku was destroyed, Kykio's soul was finally able to find peace and return to the afterlife. That should have made Inuyasha's choice simple. Instead, it sent him into a depression that not even Kagome could snap him out of.

"You know that Kikyo's return to death hurt him more then any of us expected." Sango tried to explain.

"Sango, I know that. I have tried to be understanding and I have tried to help him feel better. I am not angry with him for how he feels, but it has been six months and he doesn't seem to have any interest in moving forward. He can't expect me just to sit around until he feels like he is ready for me. It has been three years and he still has never even kissed me!"

"I am not saying you should have to wait for him. Inuyasha choose to cut himself off from any chance at happiness. I don't blame him, but there is no reason why you should feel obligated to do the same. I don't know if Kouga is going to make you happy or not, but neither will you if you don't give him a chance. You deserve happiness and even if Kouga isn't it, at least spending some time with him will get you away from Inuyasha for a while."

"You are right, of course. Thanks Sango, I don't know what I would do without you sometimes."

"Now that is settled, let's see if we can salvage this dinner," Sango winked at her friend and they both laughed as they worked together to prepare the evening's meal.

Dinner was an awkward affair. Thankfully, both Inuyasha and Kouga were content to glare daggers at one another from across the table. No one else spoke either, they were all afraid of saying anything that could start an argument between the two rivals.

After dinner, Kagome felt Sango nudging her towards Kouga and the door. She looked up at Sango and saw that she and the monk were making their way towards Inuyasha to distract him so she could sneak out without incident. Kouga noticed what was going on as well and a hopeful look came over his face as he quietly exited the hut.

Outside the two walked towards the well. They wanted to make sure they were out of range of the hanyou's sharp hearing before they began talking.

"Kagome, I'm sorry I-"Kouga started, but was stopped when Kagome cut him off.

"Look, I know I over reacted a bit. It does bug me when you call me _that_, but I know you don't mean any harm. Besides, you aren't the one who started a fight for no reason."

"So…Does this mean you are still going to give me a chance?" Kouga asked, almost afraid of the answer, but hoping beyond hope that he hadn't ruined his shot already.

"Yes, but I need to know what you have in mind first."

Kouga flashed his cocky smile, "Well, we aren't going to get anywhere around here with dog b-, um I mean Inuyasha trying to fight me every time I try to talk to you."

Kagome sighed, not failing to notice Kouga's quick catch of his near insult to Inuyasha or the truth of what he said. "I was thinking that as well, but what do you suggest?"

"You should come to my den." Kouga looked up at Kagome trying to sound confident, but still fearing she would reject his plan. When she didn't immediately say no he took that as a good sign and continued. "Okay, I want to make you a deal."

"O-okay," Kagome was not sure if she liked where this was heading, but was willing to hear him out.

"I would like for you to come and live at my den with me and my pack for one month. It would keep us from being interrupted and it would give you a chance to get to see what it would be like to live there, if you decide to become my mate. You have never been around me except when we have been fighting or in the middle of war and I want to you see what I am like with my family and friends before you make any decisions concerning our future." He said it all so quickly that it took Kagome a minute to absorb it all.

"One month, Kouga, that is a long time."

"Not really when you think about it and besides, how long did you spend traveling with that d-, er Inuyasha, and the rest of your pack? A month will give time for my pack to get used to you as well, so you can see what they are like normally, not just when they are trying to adjust to a visitor. Also I overheard to you Sango that you don't have any more of your sk-kool for the whole summer, so you don't have any obligations."

Kagome walked away, thinking quickly about what he was asking of her. It was true she had spent time a lot of time with Inuyasha traveling alone. She was not willing to spend another three years getting to know a guy just to see if there was a chance at them having a relationship, so one month of spending constant time together seemed like a reasonable way to speed things up. Even still, what was he really expecting of her?

After a while she turned back to Kouga, "If I come, where will I stay, exactly. Also, what do you expect me to decide at the end of this month? One month together is a long time, but I don't know what I will be ready for even after that."

"Don't worry, Kagome. As I said, all I expect is a chance. We don't exactly have visitors often, but I will make sure you have your own furs to sleep on for as long as you like." Kagome blushed at the implications of his words, "As for what I expect, well, I hope you will choose me as your mate, but I don't expect it. The choice you make at the end of the month is your own. If you decide we have no future, I will not like it, but I will respect it. If you only want to give me permission to continue to court you, I will be honored and I will continue to do so for as long as it takes to make you my mate." He moved forward and took her hands, "And, if you should decide you are ready for more, I will make sure you never regret it." He couldn't help the cocky grin on his face. Kagome was going to be in his den sleeping within sight of him for an entire month. He hoped for far more, but for now, this was enough. He would prove to her that they were meant for each other. He would be patient for now. After all, he had loved her for too long to risk scaring her off my being to hasty.

"I must be able to visit my mother; she worries if I am gone for more then a week without checking in." She stated almost breathless from his close proximity, she could feel his breath on the top of her head and looked up.

"Of course, I will take you anywhere you want to go." He moved closer. "Are you ready?"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha or any of the characters associated with Inuyasha. I am respectfully borrowing them from their creator, Rumiko Takahashi, for use in my otherwise original stories.

A/N: I am sorry this chapter has taken me a while to get posted. I have been suffering from some majory writer's block, among other things. I will try to get future chapters out a little quicker. Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed. This is my first time ever posting a fanfiction and I really wasn't expecting to get such a great response. I am so glad that you all seem to be liking my story so far and I hope I don't disapoint you. Thanks again!

Chapter 3

To Kagome, it seemed like only moments later they were camped out in the woods with the mountains just on the horizon. It had all happened so quickly. She had underestimated just how eager Kouga would be to get started on this month vacation he had planned. The moment he saw her nod her head he had scooped her up into his arms and they were off. She felt bad for not having said goodbye to her friends, but she was sure that they would be able to figure out where she went. Inuyasha was not going to be happy about this. Then again, maybe it was better she hadn't had to tell him where she was going. She really just didn't have the energy to fight. She really didn't think Inuyasha wanted her for himself. It seemed more like he got jealous out of habit, as opposed to any real emotion. Either way, it was annoying and she was not sorry for missing the chance for him blow up over it, real or not.

Kagome was startled out of her thoughts as Kouga emerged into the circle of firelight, his arms loaded with extra firewood. She jumped up to try to help him, but before she got to him, he had set the load with ease.

"Thanks for trying to help," Kouga said sincerely.

"Heh, you'd think by now I would remember how strong demons are," Kagome said and smiled as she couldn't help but notice Kouga stand up a little straighter at the compliment.

Ego stroking accomplished, Kagome went to work setting up camp. She rolled out her sleeping bag, as Kouga worked to make sure the fire would last through the night. Once everything was accomplished, they faced the daunting task of trying to start a conversation. They ended up spending several minutes in awkward silence as each tried to think up something intelligent to say. It really wasn't any big surprise when Kagome spoke first.

"So how long do you think it will be before we reach your home?"

Grateful for a topic, Kouga responded, "Tomorrow will be our only full day of traveling. We will have to camp out that night, but then we should reach the den by early the next afternoon at the latest. We could make the whole trip in one day if we really wanted to push it, but I didn't figure we were in that much of a hurry."

"So if we aren't in _that_ much of a hurry, why didn't you give me a chance to say bye to anyone? Hmm?" Kagome couldn't help, but tease him.

"Well, maybe I was just in a hurry to get you to myself." Kouga said slyly. Kagome was sure her face must be the color of a tomato and hoped with all her might that the glow of the fire would hide it.

"Really?" She tried to sound calm and cocky, "And just why would you be in a hurry for that?"

"So I could do this."

Kagome felt her eyes flutter as she felt his hand caress her cheek. It took all her willpower to keep her eyes open and look at his face. Her vision swam with sparkling blue eyes and for a split second, she thought she would faint. Then his lips were on hers and the world spun. It was not a passionate kiss, but it was warm and sweet and exactly what she had hoped her first real kiss would be. A heartbeat passed and it was over. As she felt Kouga pull away, she couldn't help but bring her hand to her lips, trying to relish the lingering memory of warmth she felt on them for as long as possible. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a look of happy smugness on Kouga's face, which could only be described as wolfish.

"Good night, my Kagome, we have a long month ahead of us." He walked to the nearest tree and settled himself, with his back towards it. He closed his eyes still smiling.

Kagome decided she should follow his example and curled into her sleeping bag. It took her a little while to fall asleep though with her mind still spinning from all the day's events.

It seemed like an eternity that Kouga sat with his eyes closed, listening to her breathing. Finally, he heard the rhythmic sounds of breath that let him know she had fallen asleep. He opened his eyes and looked over at her sleeping form. He wanted to memorize everything about how she looked at this moment. He smiled as he thought about their brief kiss. How soon would he get to do that again? Kouga hoped there would be much more to come. He finally fell asleep dreaming of kissing his sweet Kagome.

Kagome woke up with the sun shining in her eyes. She sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes, and looked around. Kouga paused in the middle of his morning exercises to watch her. He loved how looked all groggy and mussed up. She was just so cute it was all he could do not to start laughing and hug her.

Unaware of his amusement, Kagome smiled when she saw Kouga watching her.

"Good morning." She said cheerily.

"Good morning, you seem to have slept well." Kouga replied.

"Oh yes, there is something about sleeping under the stars that has always seemed to agree with me."

"You should sleep great at the den then. We may not have a lot of what you would consider luxuries, but we have an excellent view of the stars."

"I guess I should get up and get dressed already." Kagome said and she grabbed her pack and headed for an area of thick bushes. "No peaking."

Kouga just smiled wolfishly and watched as she disappeared from sight. A few minutes later Kouga was surprised when she emerged in a pair of shorts and a tank top. Noticing his expression, Kagome asked, "What is that look for?"

"I don't think I have ever seen you wear anything other then that strange uniform of yours."

"I do own other clothes you know." She said slightly annoyed.

"I really didn't. I think I like this even better though. So what do the rest of your clothes look like?"

"You will just have to wait and see."

"I can't wait." Kouga said mischievously and then went back to his exercises.

While Kouga was busy, Kagome ate a quick breakfast of granola bars and dried fruit from her pack. After she was finished, she loaded all of her belongings, back into her backpack and was ready to go by the time Kouga finished.

The rest of the day was a blur as she clung to Kouga's back. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used the speed with which he traveled. She was thankful that at least his running made for a much smoother ride then Inuyasha's leaping from tree to tree did. As the sun began to ride low on the horizon, Kouga finally stopped at a clearing next to a gurgling stream.

"This will be a good spot to make camp." He said as he allowed Kagome to slip down to stand on the ground.

She tried to stretch the cramps from her legs and back and then looked around. Kouga definitely had a knack for picking places with pretty scenery at least. She noticed traces of an old fire pit in the middle of the clearing. "Have you been here before?" she asked the prince curiously.

"Yeah, I have stayed her a few times. Aside from being a good resting point between my den and your village, it is also right along the border of my tribe's territory. I found this place during one of my early patrols."

"Wow, I guess I never realized how much land you were in charge of."

"Yeah, sometimes it is a little surprising even to me. If I go hunting, will you be okay to get a fire started?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I am actually really good at making camp." Kagome was still half-lost in thought as she answered Kouga's question. She barely noticed as he slipped out into the forest. She had realized that he was the prince of the southern wolf tribe, but never really grasped the reality of all that it entailed. He actually had lands and not just the mountains where his den was either. He had people dependent on him for their safety. She was being courted by a prince. She still wasn't sure what all of this meant in wolf terms, but it was impressive nonetheless. How had this never sunk in before? He was just Kouga, flirty, cocky, and sometimes thick headed, but always good-natured, Kouga. She shook her head and started to set up camp.

By the time, Kouga returned with she had the camp set up and the fire going. She even had a pot of boiling water and herbs already set over the fire just ready and waiting to cook up a nice stew with whatever Kouga brought back. As it happened, he returned with two medium sized rabbits thrown over his shoulder. Suddenly Kagome's stomach began to growl loudly.

"Hee hee, excuse me," she said blushing profusely.

"I'm sorry, I forgot how often humans have to eat. I should have stopped sooner for you." Kouga replied, mentally kicking himself for not starting their time together better. He was supposed to be impressing her with his thoughtfulness and he hadn't even managed to keep her fed. "Just give me a second to get these skinned and we will be eating in no time okay?"

"Kouga, it's okay really. I really didn't realize how hungry I was until I started smelling all the herbs in the stew. The rabbit is going to be just perfect in it. I am glad you are such a good hunter."

When the rabbits were fully skinned, Kagome took them from Kouga and plopped them into the pot to cook. It wasn't long before they were both enjoying a tasty dinner.

"So, what is your pack like? I have never spent much time around any of them except Ginta and Hakaku."

Kouga thought for a moment before he answered, "We are a family. There are many different personalities and some of them get along better then others, but everyone helps and cares for the wellbeing of everyone else. It is great the way they all work together. It isn't like human villages where one person owns a lot and another person lives in poverty. Everything belongs to everyone and everyone is expected to work to help out the tribe."

"So what will I be doing while I am staying? I want to make a good impression on everyone."

"Well, cooking for one thing, this is delicious." Kouga said as he held out his bowl for a second helping of the stew.

"Thanks, it has taken a few years, but I think I have finally gotten the hand of cooking by campfire." Kagome replied blushing slightly at the compliment. "So what else, I can't earn their respect simply by cooking."

Pausing between bites Kouga replied, "We are pretty traditional when it comes to the division of duties. The men do the hunting, repairs, and guard duties. The women, well they cook, clean, and work on the gardens. I am not sure how they get everything done, but I will get them to show you the ropes. We all take turns watching the pups during the day. That is another difference between humans and us. The children are raised by the entire community and by both men and women."

So far, this all sounded like stuff Kagome could adapt to pretty easily. She was especially curious to see the garden. It had never occurred to her that wolves could farm.

"Um, Kagome, there is one thing we need to discuss that you may not like."

A little worried Kagome asked, "There is? Well what is it?"

"Well, you have given me permission to court you for the next month, right?"

Kagome nodded.

"According to our culture that means that you are not my mate yet, but you are my woman. I know you hate it when I call you that, but if I don't refer to you that way, the other males will think you are still fair game and unattached. Even in human cultures I have noticed that it is customary for a man to defend his right to exclusively court a woman he is interested in."

Kagome found his nervousness rather endearing and couldn't help but giggle slightly. "Kouga, it is okay."

"Really?"

"Back home they call it being boyfriend and girlfriend. It means that while we aren't married, err-mated, or even promised to be yet, we are not available for advances from anyone else. I can adjust to being thought of as _your_ woman, so long as it is understood that I am not promising anything more then that for the time being and I have the right to change my mind whenever I have cause."

"That sounds perfect," Kouga was so relieved he couldn't help but wrap Kagome up in his arms. He laid his cheek on top of her head and said almost in a whisper, "My woman."

Blushing from head to toe, Kagome's immediate response was to try to pull away, but his arms felt so good and she was _his _woman after all. Perhaps it would be okay to stay like this for just a little while longer. Shyly Kagome slid her arms around his waste as well and the two of them stayed like that for a few more moments. Kouga was relishing the feel of her against him when he noticed that she hadn't moved or spoken in a while. He looked down at her to make sure she was okay only to find that she was fast asleep. Pour thing, he though, she must be exhausted.

Kouga lifted her up carefully and laid her down in her sleeping bag. After tucking her in and placing a single his on her forehead, he set himself to keep watch for the night.


End file.
